Track & Field | 5/10/2024 11:37:00 PM
ELON, N.C. – North Carolina A&T's men's outdoor track and field team in the hurdle events during the first day of the 2024 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Elon University's Jerry and Jeanne Robertson Complex on Friday. The A&T women's outdoor team performed well in the 800 meters, the 100-meter hurdles, and the women's 100 and 200m.
Four A&T men's hurdlers qualified for the 110H final, and four qualified for the 400H final. The Aggies finished behind top qualifier Josh Parks of UNC Wilmington in both events. Parks ran a 13.76 in the 110H to secure the top qualifying time in the second heat.
All of four of A&T's qualifiers ran in the first heat with freshman Isaiah Taylor leading the way by posting a personal record 13.961. Redshirt freshman Jason Holmes finished right behind his teammate at 13.969. Sophomore Thomas Smith and senior Aveon Reid also qualified, with Smith running 14 seconds flat and Reed posting a 14.29.
Reid qualified for the 400H final by running a 53.44 in the first heat behind Park's 51.85 in the second heat. A&T freshman Xzaviah Taylor had the second-fastest time, qualifying in 52.38. Taylor's brother, Isaiah, qualified with a time of 53.52, followed by Smith, who had a qualifying time of 53.91. The Aggie men also had qualifiers in the 100, 200, 400 and 800m.
Holmes qualified for the 200m final with a time of 21.05, and Senior Caleb Jackson also qualified in 21.37. In the 100m, junior Jaeden Gumbs ran a personal record 10.56 to qualify for the final. Two Aggies squeezed under the qualifying times. Xzaviah Taylor made the 400m final in 47.79, and sophomore Dawson Grogan is in the 800 m final after running a 1:53.47.
The men scored on Friday, posting three points from the long jump event. Freshman Kaleb Lucas finished seventh, with his best jump landing at 23 feet, ¾ inches. Aeneas Reed placed eighth, leaping 22 feet, 11 ½ inches. Senior Jade King scored for the Aggies in the women's long jump by placing eighth, with her jump measuring 18 feet, 11 ½ inches.
Junior Fajr Kelly was the only Aggie to have the fastest qualifying time. Kelly, the reigning CAA women's track athlete of the week, ran 2:09.65 to make the 800m final. Junior Lucheyona Weaver won her heat and had the second-fastest women's 100H qualifying time at 13.44. She finished behind Campbell's Aaliyah Brown-Muhammad, who posted a 13.31.
Junior Pebbles Scott will go after CAA championships in the 100 and 200. Scott ran a personal record 23.46 for the third-fastest qualifying time. Scott ran 11.68 in the 100 to make Saturday's final. Freshman Serenity Brazell also ran a personal record, qualifying for the women's 400 final at 54.90.
The field events start with the women's shot put at 10 a.m. on Saturday from Elon. They will be followed by the running events, beginning at 1 p.m. with the women's 4x100-meter relay.
